Child Development: 13- to 16-Year-Olds

Read about typical physical, intellectual, and social growth that kids experience during middle adolescence.

By Nancy Firchow, M.L.S.

Middle adolescence is a time of blossoming development - the insecure, inwardly focused 13-year-old becomes a cheerful, charming 16-year-old looking toward the future. During this time your child's thinking skills take a decidedly adult turn, his body matures, and friends and social networks outside the family become increasingly important. Now is when you will really begin to get a glimpse of the adult your child will become.

Physical Development

Boys and girls still exhibit markedly different levels of physical maturity as they enter middle adolescence. Girls' rapid growth is generally tapering off, while many boys have yet to see the beginning of their much anticipated growth spurt. By the end of this period most girls will be near their adult height; boys may continue to grow until age 18 or 19.

Girls:

growth in height continues, but at a slower pace than earlier; adult height is reached by age 16 or 17

Intellectual Development

Between 13 and 16 your child's ways of thinking about himself, others, and the world shift to a much more adult level. He enters middle adolescence with a focus on things he can experience here and now, and moves to being able to imagine the range of possibilities life holds. Expect the following changes as a progression of development rather than as age-based milestones:

arguing skills improve (and are demonstrated often and with great passion)

reasoning skills improve:

begins with the ability to apply concepts to specific examples

learns to use deductive reasoning and make educated guesses

learns to reason through problems even in the absence of concrete events or examples

becomes able to construct hypothetical solutions to a problem and evaluate which is best

focus on the future develops:

begins with a present focus, mixed with some fantasy

learns to recognize that current actions can have an effect on the future

starts to set personal goals (and may reject goals set by others)

decision-making skills improve:

begins to independently differentiate right from wrong and develops a conscience

learns to distinguish fact from opinion

learns to evaluate the credibility of various sources of information

becomes able to anticipate the consequences of different options

may challenge the assumptions and solutions presented by adults

Social & Emotional Development

During this period your child will continue to be an emotional pendulum: happy and at ease one year, troubled by self doubts the next. These swings will smooth out as your teen approaches the end of high school and gains more confidence in his own independence.